The present invention relates to a sealing label for sealing a container consisting of a barrel portion and a cap portion threaded and tightened on the barrel portion, the sealing label including a lower portion for substantially wrapping the barrel portion and an upper portion for substantially wrapping the cap portion. This sealing label is provided for identifying breaking of the seal or non-breaking of the seal and also for providing various data or information.
In a sealing label for a liquid container such as an eye dropper, if its horizontal perforations for breaking the sealing label is located upwardly of a shoulder of the barrel portion of the container, that is, upwardly of a border line between the barrel portion and the cap portion threaded and fastened to this barrel portion, liquid dripping during use of the container may be caught at the open gap between the lower portion of the sealing label which remains on the barrel portion after the breaking of the sealing label and the threaded portion, so that resultant accumulation dirt may present sanitary problem. For this reason, it is believed that the horizontal perforations should be located exactly at the shoulder of the barrel portion.
However, in such case too, in repeated use of the container after the breaking of the label, if the upper portion of the sealing label cut off the perforations remains at the lower region of the cap, this may give a user an uncomfortable feel. Therefore, it is preferred that the upper portion of the sealing label wrapping the cap portion can be easily removed after breaking of the seal.
A typical conventional sealing film includes horizontal perforations along the upper and lower portions of the sealing film and vertical perforations extending vertically in the upper portion. When the container sealed with this sealing film is used, as a first step, the vertical perforations extending vertically in the upper portion of the sealing film wrapping the cap portion is broken open by holding a knob portion. As a second step, the upper portion removed from the cap portion is peeled off along the horizontal perforations provided adjacent the border between the barrel portion and the cap portion. As a third step, the cap is turned to open up the container. In this case, the operation involving the first step of vertically cutting off the upper portion of the sealing film along the vertical perforations and the subsequent step of removing this upper portion along the horizontal perforations is a rather troublesome operation, which may result in damage in the lower portion during the vertical cutting operation. That is, since the horizontal perforations and the vertical perforations are provided perpendicular to each other, the vertical cutting operation cannot proceed smoothly into the horizontal cutting operation.
There has been also employed a sealing label made of a heat shrinkable synthetic resin and having an adhesive agent. With such sealing label, however, many of them have only the horizontal perforations. So, for breaking the seal, this is done by breaking the horizontal perforations by turning the cap. The label portion remaining on the cap will then have to be removed by pinching and forcibly pulling the exposed portion or cutting it by means of a cutter or the like.
At present, many containers on the market are sealed with the sealing label which is to be broken by one of the two method described above. However, a user tends to try to break the seal by the method that this user first experienced or the method which suits his/her feeling. With either method used, it is difficult to obtain satisfaction of all users, leaving either type of users dissatisfied.
In particular, in the case of containers such as eye droppers, it is desired that it allow clear distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition and also that it provide tamperproof function. However, in the case of the container sealed with the sealing label having only the horizontal perforations, after the seal is broken, if the cap is fastened again to its original position, sometimes the trace of the seal break cannot be visually judged, hence such sealing label is not suitable for tamperproof. In particular, in the case of e.g. a small eye dropper for medical treatment, the dropper is not put in a carton one by one, but a plurality of them are put in one carton. Hence, it is desired that the dropper gives clear and easy confirmation of seal-unbroken condition for each dropper. In the case of containers such as eye droppers, clear distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition and reliable tamperproof ability are desired.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sealing label which allows smooth transition from breaking of perforations in the upper area of the label to the horizontal perforations when the label is removed from the upper area thereof by holding a knob portion and which also allows easy distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition when the label is removed by breaking the horizontal perforations by turning the cap from the beginning.
For accomplishing the above-noted object, a sealing label for sealing a container consisting of a barrel portion and a cap portion threaded and tightened on the barrel portion, the sealing label including a lower portion for substantially wrapping the barrel portion and an upper portion for substantially wrapping the cap portion, wherein the sealing label includes horizontal perforations consisting of cut segments and uncut segments extending along a border between the upper portion and the lower portion; a knob portion disposed at an edge of the upper portion; and inclined perforations consisting of cut segments and uncut segments extending obliquely in the upper portion from the knob portion to the horizontal perforations.
With this construction, it is possible to break the seal by either breaking the perforations in the upper portion of the sealing label by holding the knob portion or breaking the horizontal perforations by turning the cap portion. Moreover, in the case of breaking the seal by holding the knob portion, since the perforations are inclined relative to the horizontal perforations, the transition to the breaking of the horizontal perforations may proceed smoothly. Further, in the case of breaking the seal by turning the cap, simultaneously with the breaking of the horizontal perforations, the breaking of the inclined perforations occurs, thereby to provide easy distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition. Needless to say, in the case of breaking the seal by breaking the horizontal perforations with holding the knob portion, the seal portion may be removed easily and completely, thus providing reliable tamperproof function.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as the extending shape of the inclined perforations, straight extending shape or downwardly convex curved extending shape is chosen for obtaing optimal breakability, although the shape will depend on e.g. the diameter of the cap or the pitch of the cut and uncut segments of the perforations.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing label further includes additional perforations extending from the point of contact between the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations for forming a V-shaped region with the inclined perforations. With this arrangement, when the gap is turned, the trace of the seal breakage in the form of a triangular region will be produced, which allows dear distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition at a glance, thus providing reliable tamperproof function. That is, when the cap is turned for breaking the seal, first, the breakage begins from that of the horizontal perforations. In this, due to the presence of V-shaped cut segment produced by the inclined perforations and the additional perforations at the contact area between the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations, the inclined perforations will begin to break before the uncut segment of the horizontal perforations at this area is completely broken. Thereafter, in association with the rotation of the cap, the seal label portion between the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations will be removed from the cap and the horizontal perforations will be broken accordingly. As a result, the triangular cutting line trace will always be produced, which allows distinction between the seal broken condition and the seal un-broken condition at a glance. The angle between the inclined perforations and the additional perforations, i.e. the angle of the V-shaped region, is preferably from 100 degrees to 160 degrees, more preferably about 120 degrees.
In order to obtain the above-described function/effect more effectively, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the uncut segment of the horizontal perforations located at the contact area between the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations is formed as an elongate uncut segment which has a greater length than that of the other uncut segments of the horizontal perforations. With this arrangement, when the seal is broken by turning the cap, the portion of the label contacting the portion of the horizontal perforations will resist breaking, so that the inclined perforations will begin to break in an efficient manner before the uncut segment of the horizontal perforations is completely broken. More preferably, the elongate uncut segment is disposed in contact with a cut segment of the inclined perforations.
Similarly, in order to obtain efficient breakage of the inclined perforations, it is also important that a length ratio of the cut segment relative to the uncut segment of the inclined perforations be greater than a length ration of the cut segment relative to the uncut segment of the horizontal perforations.
The lengths of the cut segment and uncut segment of the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations will be appropriately determined, depending on e.g. the type of material forming the label, the size and intended use of the container, etc. Taking an eye dropper for example, the following lengths are employed normally.
For the horizontal perforations,.its cut segment has a length of 2 to 3 mm, preferably about 2.5 mm and its uncut segment has a length of 0.2 to 1 mm, preferably about 0.5 mm. And, the above-described uncut segment of the horizontal perforations at the contact area between the horizontal perforations and the inclined perforations, that is, the elongate uncut segment, has a length of 1.5 to 2.5 mm, preferably about 2 mm.
On the other hand, for the inclined perforations, its cut segment has a length of 3 to 4 mm, preferably about 3.5 mm and its uncut segment has a length of 0.2 to 1 mm, preferably about 0.5 mm. The additional perforations will have values similar to those of the inclined perforations and has 2 to 3 cut segments.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing label is formed of heat shrinkable synthetic resin with an adhesive agent. With this, the adherence of the sealing label may be improved and also after the breakage of the seal, the lower portion of the sealing label will adhere to the container reliably, so that the various data or information required for the medical product or the like printed on this lower portion will not be lost inadvertently.